Captain America & The Twin Soldiers
by wisegirl502
Summary: Upon request by a close acquaintance of Nick Fury's, Captain America embarks on a mission to save a girl who's been held by Hydra for over three years with her twin sister. Simultaneously, he searches for his old comrade and brother in arms, Bucky. Will he find the girl and his friend? Or will he get to both of them too late?
1. Chapter 1

**OK so I really shouldn't be writing any new stories because I have my plate full but Captain America and Bucky have wormed their way into my heart and because I can't wait for Captain America 3, I'm writing this SO, to the readers who know me, you know the rules. To those that don't, 1) If you like the story, review :) 2) if you like the story but have some suggestions, please give me **_**constructive**_** criticism not **_**destructive **_**(too many experiences with one story with multiple assbutts who think they know everything so I put this just in case), and 3) No flames. Don't like the story? Move on to one you do. Simple. Got it? Good. Now, go read :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I've got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."  
****-~Natasha Romanoff in **_**The Avengers**_

* * *

Chapter 1

**Steve**

**Washington D.C., 0900 hrs…**

"Hey Sam, got anything?" Steve asked, walking into the room while he looked over Bucky's file for what had to be the fiftieth time. He couldn't get enough of looking at it, more to reassure himself that his best friend was alive and well (basically) and that this wasn't all just a dream. Steve had had nightmares of Bucky's "death" even after being unfrozen. It was something he couldn't, _wouldn't_, ever forget. He had to get his friend back.

"Nah, your friend's gone completely off the radar. I don't know how he's done it. You'd think someone would've seen a guy with a metal arm walking about but no. I'm looking though. I mean, there's tons of stories on him, but none recent except for what happened with SHIELD. After that, nada. He might as well be a ghost," Sam said, scrolling through what appeared to be the eightieth page on Google. "You know you're desperate for information when you go past the second page on Google."

Steve smiled. "Want any coffee?"

"Can I trust you to use my coffeemaker without breaking it for the fourth time?" he countered.

"Those things were confusing."

"When we finish this mission, I'm giving you a crash course on a lot of things my friend."

"Right, well that might be a while considering how long it's taking us to find information on Bucky," Steve remarked humorously. Sam sent him an airy glare. Leaving his friend to continue searching on Google, Steve went back to the kitchen to make some coffee. Another reason he kept reading Bucky's file was to see if there was any pattern in his locations, any way to trace him now. Every time he thought he found something, it was just a dead end. He was getting desperate. In the middle of reading about Bucky's involvement with the death of a nuclear scientist, Steve's cell phone rang. Looking at the number, he recognized it as Director Fury. Answering it, he joked lightly, "I hope you're not trying to bribe me into helping you again."

"Oh I'm not in need of your help. But someone else may be. How fast can you get to Stark Tower?" Fury inquired

"Today probably."

"Bring Falcon. Maybe he can give you a lift. Oh, and bring your suit."

"Will do. What's the mission?"

"You'll find out when you get here. I'll see you soon, Captain." Fury hung up, leaving Steve curious. He got up and went into the living room. Sam had resorted to listening to Trouble Man by Marvin Gaye to keep him awake and motivated.

"Who was that?" Sam questioned, not looking up from the computer.

"Fury. There's a possible mission for us apparently. He wants us at Stark Tower. You up for it?"

"What about Bucky?"

Steve grimaced. "He'll be out there. Fury said someone might need our help. He wouldn't call if it was just anybody. If I know anything about him, it's that."

"All right, let me pack my bags."

"Pack light. Oh, and uh, bring your suit."

Sam grinned. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

**Clint**

**Budapest, Hungary, 1505 hrs…**

"Maybe we'll remember Budapest the same way this time," Clint remarked as he walked side by side with Natasha. They'd both taken breaks from their jobs. He'd joined the Olympics in the archery arena. America was going to win the gold medal next year thanks to him. They might actually catch up to South Korea with gold medals because of him. Natasha actually ended up helping the Smithsonian, gathering Hydra artifacts SHIELD had been storing and helping them set up exhibits (secure ones) and giving them detailed information about each thing and what had been used in certain situations.

"This time, but apparently we'll always disagree on the first time," Natasha replied. She'd gone back to her long curly hair. It looked good on her. Of course, she always looked good to Clint but he would never tell her that. She didn't seem interested in having a significant other at the moment.

"Have you talked to the others recently?"

"Well, Tony is still working on Stark Tower. Renovations are already half-way done. Steve and Sam are working on finding Bucky. I told you about that. Thor is… somewhere in Asgard. Banner is with Dr. Selvig right now, discussing astrophysics. They apparently knew each other before Banner's experimentation with gamma radiation."

"How's the museum?"

"Certainly a change of pace but interesting nonetheless. Finally can put my knowledge into something that won't hurt people, won't keep them in the dark, and maybe even help them. I still have red in my ledger. Maybe by doing this, by helping the public, I can wipe most of it out."

Natasha had changed. Ever since her information had been revealed to the world, she'd been a lot more open with him. With respect to her privacy, he didn't read up on her. If she wanted him to know something, she'd tell him. "That's in the past, Nat. You've started a new course."

"So have you. But, if I'm ever needed again, Fury and all the Avengers have my number."

At that moment, Clint's phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Barton, I'm going to take a wild guess and say Natasha is with you?"

Clint smirked. "Director, you would be correct although I'm not going to ask how you knew. What can I do for you, sir?"

"I might have a mission for you and Romanoff. How fast can you get to Stark Tower?"

"We can be there by tonight."

"Good. Be sure to suit up."

"This an Avengers job?"

"For one of you, yes. Now I have other calls to make. I'll see you soon." The Director hung up.

Clint turned to Natasha and said, "Fury and the Avengers need us. Fast."

"Let's get going. I'm starting to miss the excitement of my old life."

* * *

**Banner**

**New York City, New York, 0910 hrs…**

Talking to his old friend Dr. Selvig was difficult. His mental state had deteriorated thanks to Loki's mind control of him previously in the year. However, the doctor seemed to retain his knowledge in astrophysics, and Banner had a pleasant and interesting conversation with him. Dr. Selvig had been a good friend to Bruce before his experiments with gamma radiation went wrong and he'd stopped contact with Selvig and anyone else he previously knew. It'd been hard, but it'd been for the best. Now, though, Banner knew how to control the Beast, and trusted himself to be in more situations than ever. He felt he could almost start assimilating himself back into American culture, but he missed Calcutta too. He didn't know what to do at the moment, so he passed the time trying to help his old friend.

"How is Jane?" Banner asked, knowing his friend could talk sanely on this subject as well.

"She's well, so is Darcy. They came to see me recently. I haven't heard from them since, although I'm not worried. I know Thor is watching over her. How have you been?"

"Much better now that I can control myself. I wanted to-" Banner was interrupted by his phone ringing. He excused himself and went into the lobby of the hospital. "Hello?"

"This is Nick Fury. How are you Doctor Banner?"

Bruce gave a small smirk. "Tell me you're not calling me in on a mission."

"Now why does everyone assume that's automatically why I call them?" Fury said.

"Because that's what we've been trained to know."

"Then your hunch would be correct, but only half, because I have a _possible_ mission for you. Your participation in it will be decided upon by the leader of it."

"You're not it?"

"No, but they called me for my help. I understand you do not want to get involved unless needed, but the person may need your help. If you would like to join in, meet at Stark Tower."

Banner sighed. "Tony has no idea we're all meeting up at his place, does he?"

"He's about to. Maybe I'll see you, maybe I won't. Either way, have a good rest of your day." Fury hung up the phone. The guy really needed to work on his conversation skills… but that would probably never happen.

On one hand, Banner didn't want to get involved in any missions unless he was with the Avengers as a team. He didn't trust himself, while fighting with only one other person he didn't know well, not to completely lose control as the Hulk without having the others to stop him if that happened. On the other hand, he was curious about who this person was that Fury was actually sort of taking orders from. That must mean they meant something to him or that they were extremely important.

Making up his mind, he went into Dr. Selvig's room to talk some more.

* * *

**Stark**

**New York City, New York, Stark Tower, 0915 hrs…**

"Sir, I have Director Fury on line one for you," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced as Tony worked on the finishing touches of his favorite part of Stark Tower: the cocktail/lounge area. Of course, that was also where Loki decided to stay as the battle with the Chitauri raged on just a few weeks ago. That demigod certainly wreaked havoc but nothing Tony or the Avengers couldn't handle.

"Tell him I'm busy."

"I can see that," Fury commented. Stark pulled away from what he was doing and faced the ex-SHIELD director.

"I'm sorry, sir. He overrode my system," J.A.R.V.I.S. apologized.

"It's okay, but next time, would it kill you to knock?" Tony asked.

"Would it kill you to answer when you're actually home?" Fury countered.

Stark raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement of the truth in that statement. "What are you doing here?"

"The Avengers are coming along with another person I think you might actually be glad to see."

"Could you not have told me sooner?" Tony groaned. "Nothing is ready for earth's, with the exclusion of Mr. I-Love-My-Hammer, mightiest heroes."

"That's all right. We just need somewhere to meet. I thought this was the perfect place, as it is a good reminder about why we need you people around."

Tony sighed. He respected Fury but at the same time, the ex-director really got on his nerves most of the time. "Did it ever occur to you that I don't want people here right now? That I would like to have some time that doesn't include saving the world twenty-four-seven?"

"Like I said earlier, you won't mind them being here when you see who and what it pertains to."

"Twenty bucks says you're wrong."

"I know I'm right, and unlike Captain Rogers, I'm not actually holding you to that bet."

"He coming here with his flying wingman?"

"He'll be here soon."

"When is the mystery guest coming here?"

"Sir, I believe she is here," J.A.R.V.I.S. informed, "And I actually am agreeing with Director Fury. I do not think you'll mind her being here."

With J.A.R.V.I.S. actually agreeing with Fury, Stark's interest in the person intensified, which caused him to therefore grudgingly agree to let everyone come to his place. Of course, they were coming anyways so he had no choice in the matter this time, but he still wanted to think he did.

Tony motioned at the elevator. "All right Nick, show me who it is."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Review? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Stories always start out so slow and it's a pain because I have so much planned! I hope you guys enjoy this story! :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."  
****~Tony Stark in **_**The Avengers**_

* * *

Chapter 2

**Steve**

"Incoming!" Sam shouted as he landed roughly onto the highest balcony at Stark Tower. "I know I've said this before, but you're a lot heavier than you look buddy."

"It's a good thing you didn't fly me the entire way here then," Steve joked. He'd ridden his motorcycle all the way up to New York. Sam had driven his new car since Bucky had destroyed his old one.

"I'd be dead twenty minutes into the flight. All right, let's see what this is all about." The two of them entered the newly renovated room. Stark was lounging about on the couch and talking to Banner who was pacing the room to apparently pass time.

"Well about time fellas, did you go through a drive-thru or something?" Stark asked, peering over the couch to look at the newcomers.

Sam looked up guiltily as he pulled out a McDonald's bag from his backpack. He'd gotten extremely hungry on the ride up and so they stopped briefly for a bite to eat. "I'm a Falcon. I need the energy," he retorted.

"Dr. Banner, how are you?" Steve asked politely yet amiably. It was hard not to be anything but friendly to the person you'd fought side by side with in a battle to save the world from an alien invasion caused by one of your other comrades' brother. It was really never a dull moment in the life of an Avenger.

"I'm well, how are you?" Banner answered with the same tone.

"Good, curious about the mission. You two wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

"No, although our mystery guest is here. .V.I.S. refuses to tell me who it is even though I own him. I think he just wants to see me pay Fury for being right, which I don't know if he is right because I haven't seen the person yet even though she's in this very building. Fury's with her right now," Stark explained.

"She?" Sam asked.

"Do you need clarification of the term or something?"

"No, I know the term. I just wanted to see if you do."

Tony pointed at him and said, "I like him."

"Hey boys," a woman greeted. Steve, Sam, Stark, and Banner turned towards the door. Clint and Natasha were walking towards them. "Pleasure to see you again."

"Nice to see you Natasha, although you, I don't know you," Sam said, looking at Barton.

"I'm Clint Barton, also called Hawkeye."

"Best archer in the world," Natasha added.

"Pleasure man," Sam remarked, shaking Clint's hand.

"You're Falcon? Natasha told me about you. Helped take down SHIELD?"

"I didn't know what I was getting into. Where Captain America goes, I go. Just slower."

"Is everyone here?" Stark interrupted. "Because I have a date with Ms. Potts that I don't want to miss. She'd kill me if I missed another one because of Avenger stuff, which she knows nothing about the Avengers except who's in it…"

"Were you waiting on me?" a booming voice inquired. The group faced the familiar person. Thor, in all his Asgardian glory, swaggered into the room with his red cape billowing behind him.

"Apparently, big guy. How did you get here?"

"Like I always do. Now where is Director Fury and why has SHIELD called for my presence?"

"SHIELD's gone," Steve explained, going into detail about his last mission and all it entailed. Thor raised his eyebrows, nodded, and said, "Well done, my brother. If you need help destroying Hydra, I would be honored to fight alongside you."

"I'll let you know if I do."

"The Avengers are back," Fury said, walking into the room.

"Plus one. Captain's secretary," Tony corrected.

"He's not my secretary, he's my friend," Steve remarked, rather angry at Iron Man's comment when he knew what Sam was capable of. Sam could very well be an Avenger, he just needed the approval of the other's. Maybe after this mission, Steve would bring it up with them.

"So what's the mission?" Barton asked, sitting down on the coffee table. Tony looked like he wanted to tell him to get off of it, but considering Hawkeye seemed to be in a ticked off mood for no apparent reason, it was probably better that Stark didn't say anything.

"Let me call her up here," Fury said. He pulled out his phone and punched in some keys. It reminded Steve of how he still had problems texting, but that was because his fingers were too big for any of the keypads.

About a minute passed before the elevator ding, announcing the new arrival. When the doors opened, a blonde girl stepped out. She was gorgeous even though her appearance, upon closer inspection, gave it away that she'd been through hell. Her face, while she wore makeup, was pale and wan. She had dark circles under her eyes indicating she'd had little to no sleep. The girl didn't look naturally as lean as she was. Steve guessed she'd been at a heavier and healthier weight before whatever happened to her. She wasn't meant to be as thin as she was.

"Hello Avengers," the girl said with what sounded like a British accent, smiling. "My name is Ember."

Steve heard Tony grumble something before handing money to Fury. The ex-director held back a grin while Stark went up to the guest and gave her a hug. "How are you, Em?"

"I'm doing better than I have been. And yourself?"

"I was doing good up until the Avengers decided to use my not nearly ready building as their meeting point."

"I'm sorry, that would be my doing. I told Nick that I'd prefer to stay with someone I knew and trusted, and I guess he automatically chose you."

"I don't mind if it's you staying here. I have no choice about the others. Iron Man versus a demigod, a super soldier, a man with breath-taking anger management issues, a trained spy, a master archer, and a metal-winged jet-pack man would not end well for me. Let me introduce you to everyone," Stark offered, turning to face the group.

"I know Natasha. We've worked together before, same with Clint. And is that Sam Wilson?"

"You're Richard Brown's daughter, right? Long time no see!" Sam exclaimed.

"What, four, five years? He helped my father with some recon at some point. I didn't get many details on it. I was working for MI-6 at the time and only met him briefly," Ember explained. "Natasha and I worked together on an escort assignment. Clint and I have met each other multiple times while working for SHIELD."

"How do you know Stark?" Clint motioned at the two of them questioningly.

"We're cousins. Distant, but cousins nonetheless," she replied.

"I'm sorry."

"I know, it's horrible," she laughed. "No, it's actually not as bad as one would think. How are you Hawkeye? Have you finally done it?"

Barton eyed her in a manner that hinted to Steve he'd been asked this question by her multiple times. "I'm fine, and no I have not done what you are thinking about."

"You're really going to miss your opportunity if you don't do it soon," Ember said.

"I'm working on it."

"If you need my help, let me know."

"So do you know everyone here?" Tony intervened. "Because I don't want to make introductions."

"No I don't know everyone," she responded, giving a small smile to Steve and Thor. "But I have heard of them."

"I am Thor, son of Odin, and future ruler of Asgard. It is an honor to meet you, my lady," Thor bowed. Ember hesitated before curtsying.

"It's an honor to meet you, Thor Odinson."

"I'm Steve Rogers, Captain America."

She took his offered hand and shook it, blushing. "Pleasure to meet you Captain."

"You were her favorite superhero growing up," Stark commented. If possible, Ember flushed a deeper red.

"My sister and I always wanted to be superheroes, or at least the equivalent of one," she hastily clarified. "I liked Captain America, she decided to go for Batman."

"Where is your sister?" Banner joined in.

At this, Ember's face fell. "She's why I'm here. May we all sit?" Everyone listened and took a seat somewhere; Steve and Stark sat on either side of Ember on the couch with Sam on Steve's other side, Natasha and Clint sat on the coffee table, Banner leaned against the nearest wall, Thor moved to sit on the loveseat next to Fury. Once the group was settled in, Ember began her story. "My twin sister, Seraphina, and I joined MI-6 when we were eighteen. We'd both been accepted to the University of St. Andrews at the time, but when MI-6 contacted us, we thought perhaps something had happened to our father who worked for them at the time. That wasn't the case. See, Seraphina and I had been trained since we could walk how to fight in different styles of karate, tae kwon do, and others. If I listed each style, we'd be here for a week. But it made us dangerous and valuable, and MI-6 wanted us to be spies for them. She and I agreed. For three years, we did multiple missions for them. It ranged between escort to reconnaissance missions, to doing hostage extractions, intelligence gathering, and more. My sister and I have always been very flexible in what we do. See, whereas I'm more common sense and can think outside the box if need be, Seraphina is more the person who knows everything about everything. It's what makes us such a lethal team. If one of us doesn't know how to do something, the other definitely does. Back to the story though. It took us a year to train and after that we went into the field. For the next two years, everything was fine. But then, she and I started finding out some secrets we weren't supposed to when we began collaborating with SHIELD. Our mission changed from typical MI-6 stuff to taking down Hydra. At first, we had no trouble. She and I went after individuals. At one point, we actually infiltrated a Hydra base and shut it down. But it put us on their radar in a bad way. During that mission, we'd taken information from their database and learned something horrible… Our father is one of the top people in Hydra. And even worse, Sera and I had _told_ him what we'd been doing about Hydra before we knew he was in it. He tried to persuade us from doing so, but we were adamant that we had to, that the fate of the world was in our hands because of this. When the two of us found out about Hydra, we created an extensive plan on how to systematically take it out and make sure it never came back. To make sure no one but only trusted advisors knew about the plan, she and I split the plan into two parts. One of us had half the plan, the other had another half. A person wouldn't be able to figure out the plans with only half of it. You would need both of us to even start to begin to comprehend everything we had planned. Right after we'd done this, the two of us were spying on some suspected Hydra members when we were ambushed from behind. Our attackers used a new form of chloroform because Sera and I had created a resistance to normal versions of it just in case someone ever tried to pull what they did. I woke up tied to a chair with rope. Nothing I couldn't get out of easily, but I waited because I wanted to know where my sister was. I wasn't leaving without her. She was in another room I learned. When my captors weren't looking, I rocked my chair back, breaking it where I could get free and fight, but they were ready. They knew my tricks, and I suspected that was my father's doing. I woke up in a jail cell to screaming. I screamed back. It was Seraphina. I haven't seen her since that day." Ember closed her eyes. The story seemed to be causing her physical pain to think about, making Steve wonder just how recently all this happened.

"How long has that been?" Stark queried gently. Steve had never seen his compatriot be so kind to another person except to Miss Potts.

"Three years…" Ember replied softly. I was held captive for two years and nine months. I broke free one day through sheer will power. They put me through so much torture: punching and slapping at first, then it turned into mental torture, then they went to physical, ripping of my nails one by one, slowly for effect. Did the same to my toenails. Waited until they grew back and repeated the process. Ripped hair out of my head, and waterboarded me just to name a few. I won't tell you anymore. It's too horrible to think about let alone talk about. The Hydra people made sure I was malnourished so it was harder for me to fight back, and kept me separated from Seraphina by transporting me to a different Hydra facility in another part of the Middle East. They knew we were weaker apart. I pulled one of the oldest tricks in the book to escape. I guess they thought I was so weak I had no fight left in me. I pretended to faint, going completely deadweight on the guy leading me to the interrogation room. There was only one thank god; again, pretty sure they underestimated me. But he dropped down with me, and I head-butted him in the nose, breaking it. He cried out but I was already standing up. I slammed my foot into his head which knocked him out. I grabbed the key of his belt and unlocked the handcuffs on my wrists. I grabbed his gun, fought my way to a car, which happened to be a Bentley, and floored it out of there. Ended up in Dubai, got myself to a hospital, called Fury, and blacked out. Woke up two weeks later to be told I was practically anorexic from lack of food, dehydrated from lack of water, and a ton of other stuff. I just got out of that hospital a couple weeks ago. I went straight to Fury for help. He's the only one I trust next to you guys right now."

The room fell silent. No one really knew what to say. Rage boiled inside of Steve. She not only been captured by Hydra, but had been betrayed by her father and lost her sister.

"My sister is still alive from what I know. I won't rest until I find her. But I need help from one of you. It'll be my decision overall, but I wanted to meet you each personally. I hope you don't mind. And my choice does not reflect on your abilities, it's just the person I think is best suited for this type of job."

"Which one of you is up for the job?" Fury inquired. Every person raised their hand.

"That's my cousin," Stark pointed out. "I'll do anything to help my favorite cousins. You're getting my help whether you like it or not."

"Weren't you saying earlier you were tired of saving the world twenty-four-seven?" Fury remarked.

"That's different when it comes to people I care about."

"I want each of you to know that this may be one of the most dangerous missions you go on. You're going up against probably the most powerful terrorist organization in the world. Just two of you."

"Why don't we all go?" Sam suggested.

Steve chuckled lightly. "We spent more time fighting each other than we did fighting the Chitauri. It may be different now, but we can't really afford to find out if that's true."

"The man in the spangled outfit is right," Tony said.

"I like the outfit," Ember admitted, "And not just because Captain America has always been my favorite superhero."

"When do you decide on who you're taking?" Natasha demanded kindly.

"Tomorrow. I'm going to read up on your files, see what you're all currently doing because I wouldn't want to interfere with anything."

"I'm pretty sure any one of us would sacrifice what we're doing to help you," Clint said.

Ember smiled at him. "I'll see you in the morning. If you don't mind, I'm going to go get some rest. Maybe I'll see some of you tonight, but if not, then I shall certainly see you in the morning. Pleasure meeting all of you." Ember gave them a polite head nod and walked out of the room. Fury followed her. Sam leaned forward and whispered, "Why do I get the feeling you want her to choose you?"

"Because I do."

"Is this because you've been in a similar situation and you don't want to see it happening to her, or because you're her favorite superhero?" he joked.

"The first one, but I'm flattered by the second. And I have some issues with Hydra that I want to take care of personally."

* * *

**Did you like the chapter? Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Whatever happens tomorrow you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."  
****~Dr. Erskine in **_**Captain America: The First Avenger**_

* * *

Chapter 3

**Fury**

Ember was standing on her balcony looking out over the crowded, busy streets of New York City. Nick was hesitant to go stand next to her unannounced. She'd been jumpy after what she'd gone through. Instead he stood in the doorway and cleared his throat. Like he predicted, Ember jumped violently at the sound as she whirled around, clearly in a fighting stance. When she realized who it was, she calmed down.

"I'm going to assume you've already read the files and have made your choice," Fury said, coming to stand by her.

Ember went back to gazing out over the city. "Your assumption would be correct, and not just for the reasons you think. You know why I won't choose Barton. And while I know I work well with Natasha, I'm hesitant to work with her. I'm not sure if I trust her to follow all of my orders. And anywhere she goes, Barton will want to go with her. Dr. Banner, I mean, I know him well enough and I trust him to be able to control the Hulk, but he's never actually worked with me and vice versa. How do I know we'd be good teammates?" Ember sighed. "And then there's Stark. He would be the sensible choice considering our past and our relationship with each other. But he's very anti-authoritarian, and while I love him dearly, I'm not sure if he would always listen to me. Sam, again, it's the same way with him as it is with Bruce. I know him well enough, and I know he'd be a great ally, but I don't how well we'd work as teammates. And then there's Captain Rogers. He's probably not the most sensible considering he doesn't know how a lot of current technology works and from what I've heard, he's searching for the Winter Soldier and I don't want to distract him from that, but he's gone through something similar with his friend Bucky being captured by Hydra and I figured he might have some good ideas on how to go through with this."

"I don't disagree with you there, but I will give you a few notes. Whoever you take, tell them your reasons why you chose them and why you didn't choose the others. They deserve that. And are you ever going to tell Barton?" Fury demanded, actually sounding exasperated.

Ember shrugged. "I will, just not sure when. Tony is going to figure it out sooner or later and I don't want him saying anything to Barton about it. I'll need to find a way to tell him about that…"

"If, for some reason, you don't make it back, would you like me to tell him?"

"I'll let you make that call. I don't know what I'd want you to do. If I don't make it back and you tell him, he could feel remorseful for the rest of his life. But if you don't, then you could feel bad for keeping that from him and I don't want you in that position."

"How about this: if both you and Seraphina live or one dies and the other lives, I tell him. If neither of you survives, I won't. Does that sound doable?"

"I think I can agree to that."

"Good. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Fury left and headed downstairs.

* * *

**Steve**

Even in his own room, Steve could hear Sam snoring loudly. Steve chuckled at how hard his friend was sleeping. Knowing sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight, he slipped out of his room and went downstairs, preferably looking for something to eat. He passed Hawkeye sitting at the top of one of the stairwells in attempt to scare Tony. Natasha was hidden behind him, waiting for the free entertainment. Steve just smiled and kept going. He entered the kitchen, finding a familiar blonde sitting cross-legged on the bar-counter, eating cereal. Ember gave off the appearance of being very young at that moment.

Not wanting to scare her, he cleared his throat to announce his arrival.

"Hello Steve," she greeted, not turning around.

"How did you know I was there and how did you know it was me?" he queried, grabbing a cereal box and some milk. He poured it in a bowl and went to stand next to her.

"I heard you coming. I'm better at hearing things indoors when there's less to distract me like when I'm outside. And I saw your reflection in the TV screen. How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm great, actually. Free food, free place to stay, a _safe_ place to stay most importantly."

"Good. I'm sorry you went through what you did."

"Thank you. So how are you assimilating into modern life?"

"All right I guess. I mean, it's pretty different, but there's so many helpful things. The internet, so amazing. Cell phones are so useful. Color television is unbelievable, especially high definition."

"If you need help with anything, let me know," Ember offered, twisting around and grabbing the cereal and milk. For a girl with such a tiny figure, she sure ate a lot. As if reading his mind, she said, "I'm trying to eat as much as I can to get back to my original weight. I weighed eighty pounds when I escaped. I weighed one-hundred forty pounds before. At first I could hardly eat anything without throwing it up. My body wasn't able to handle all that food. So I had to start small, soups and salads and stuff. Slowly I could eat more and more. Obviously I can eat a ton now. I'm up to a hundred-ten. I don't why I just told you all of that."

Steve smiled. "I don't mind. My question is how are you and Tony Stark cousins? You're much pleasanter than him."

Ember laughed. "Oh Stark… yes, we're cousins far down the line. He's my eighth or ninth cousin. I can't exactly remember, but Seraphina and I would come visit when we were younger. He would let us and only us sit on his counters at his old house. I guess I never got out of the habit," she mused, glancing down briefly. "Anyways, Stark went a little bit on the nutty side according to my father and therefore we were prohibited from seeing him. I believe that made it even worse for Stark. He actually did care about me and my sister. This is the first time I've seen him since I was… fifteen? Sixteen? One of those two. So yeah, it's good to see him again."

"I could imagine. It's nice to know there's people he genuinely cares about."

"Other than himself you mean? I know. There's obviously Miss Potts. There's me and my sister. There's the Avengers too."

"The Avengers?"

"Oh he'd never admit it, but he actually does care about you people. I guess it's harder for him to get along with you just because, no offense, you're practically polar opposites. But yes, he does care for you Captain, he'll just never admit it out loud."

"Out of curiosity, how do you know this?"

"Trust me, if he didn't want you here, he'd find a way to kick you out. May I ask you something, Captain?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered.

"How did you break into the Hydra facility when you rescued all those men?"

"I pretty much snuck into the back of a truck, knocked the two men in there out, maneuvered my way in, found the captives, let them free, told them to give the Germans hell, and then I went to find Johann Schmidt. In the process, I found my…" Steve trailed off as the memory of him rescuing Bucky came rushing to him. No matter how many times he thought of it, it never got easier to think about, especially now that he knew the experiments performed on Bucky had caused him to survive the fall and therefore turn into the Winter Soldier. Steve avoided telling Ember the latter part of that, but told her how he saved and lost his friend. She looked absolutely mortified. "I miss him. The one guy that actually believed in me before I became the super soldier, when I was just a scrawny kid from Brooklyn. The only people who weren't family that actually had faith in me before it all was Bucky, Peggy, and Dr. Erskine. They believed in the 'good man' from Brooklyn, not just the perfect soldier. I loved them for that."

"Peggy Carter? Didn't she help found SHIELD?"

Steve nodded before getting a glass and filling it with milk. "She was my best girl. Only girl as a matter of fact, or at least the only one I've ever really loved."

"Lucky girl."

"So, uh, have you decided on who you're taking on the mission?"

Ember nodded. "I have, actually."

"Good, good…"

She looked at him and asked, "You want to know but you don't want to ask, do you?"

"I figured if you wanted to tell me, you would. I understand if you don't."

"I don't mind. I just hope you'll accept my request for you to accompany me on this mission," Ember said.

"You chose me?" Steve queried, giving her a surprised expression. He hadn't really expected her to choose him. He thought Ember would've chosen Stark just because she knew him the most out of anyone in the group.

"Yes. Most of you probably expected me to choose Tony because I know him so well. But he's very anti-authoritarian and does his own thing too often. Even where my sister is concerned, if he didn't agree with a plan of mine, he'd create his own one without telling me it and leaving me in the dust. With Natasha, I've worked with her before but not enough to where I fully trust her, and no offense to any relations or feelings you have towards her. I know she was one of your only allies when you brought down SHIELD. Banner and Sam, I don't really know that well. Same with Thor, and he seems a little, uh, Hammer-happy? He seems to act first rather than think. And Hawkeye, it's a very personal reason why I don't want him coming along with me. And then there's you. I don't know you as well as the others, but you have gone through something very similar with your friend Bucky, and I believe you will be the most helpful in this mission. Besides, just based on our few conversations, I think we'd get along for the most part. And I trust you."

"You trust a person you hardly know?"

The corner of her mouth turned up. "Because you're not just a perfect soldier, you're also a good man. I have records to prove that. Do you accept my request?"

"I do. I just have one more question."

"Only one?"

"For now. May we meet up in Washington D.C.? There's someone I would like to say goodbye to before I leave."

"Of course. I have a flat there actually. Here, I'll give you my address. Just meet me there when you're ready to go. Fury is helping me track down my sister. I'm going to ask Stark to aid in this as well." She wrote down her address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Thank you, Captain. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Please, call me Steve, and you're welcome. Thank you for choosing me," he said, shaking her hand. As he was leaving, she said, "Hey, uh, I know you're searching for the Winter Soldier. I'm not sure why you are, but I'd be glad to help you do that while we're working on my mission too."

"Thank you. Sam's helping me on it right now, but if we need more help, I'll let you know."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning." Ember hopped down off the counter and left the kitchen. Steve walked behind her. They passed the stairwell where Clint and Natasha were hiding. Steve and Ember both nodded their heads at their compatriots and continued on their way. They passed Tony on the way; he gave them a short smile. Steve and Ember turned around to watch his reaction to Hawkeye. Sure enough, Stark jumped about a foot in the air and allowed a few swear words to flow freely from his mouth. Clint and Natasha could be heard laughing. Ember giggled. Steve chuckled.

Ember reached her room and said good night to Steve once again. It was midnight but Steve wasn't tired. He'd been asleep for seventy years, and even after being awake for this long, he still felt like he'd slept long enough. Instead of going to his room, he went downstairs to the workout room, a place that had thankfully avoided being damaged during the battle with the Chitauri. Steve took some boxing gloves, grabbed a punching bag, and started hitting it.

All the pent up frustration he'd had ever since he woke up was let out onto the punching bag. Even with his new friends, Steve still felt isolated and alone. They didn't understand him or what he'd been through. The only person who did was Bucky, and he didn't even really remember Steve. It was the newfound information about his best friend that irked him the most. If he'd only convinced Bucky sooner on the helicarrier that they'd known each other, that they'd fought next to each other opposed to against each other, then he'd know where Bucky is, and maybe then Steve would have the one person next to him that understood what it was like to wake up in a whole new era, a whole new century.

But that wasn't the case. So the only thing Steve could do was search for him while saving as many people as he could as often as he could. This wasn't his era, but this was still his America, and he had sworn seventy years ago to protect it. He was never going to break that promise.

* * *

**I'm pretty sure you all saw that coming, Ember choosing Steve, but I have a soft spot for Captain America so deal with it. However, the other Avengers will play a part in this I promise, especially Hawkeye, but I won't tell you why :) Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Huge shout-outs to tumblr users shanology, thedevilsbaklava, and guardedlogic who helped me read what Bucky's panel in the Smithsonian said (you'll understand why later in the chapter). For any of those who use tumblr, you should follow these awesome people :) All right, enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**You saved the world... we mucked it up."  
****~Peggy Carter in **_**Captain America: The Winter Soldier**_

* * *

Chapter 4

**Steve**

Steve left before anyone else had woken up. He'd gone to say bye to Ember and that he'd see her in D.C. and went to talk to Sam about his search for the Winter Soldier. Sam assured him that if anything turned up, he'd let him know immediately.

Pulling up to the retirement facility, Steve hopped off his motorbike. He took a deep breath before entering the building. It pained him every time to do this, but at the same time, he looked forward to seeing her. He always would.

Steve headed to his destination and knocked on the door. A weak, quiet voice told him he could come in. He stepped inside and smiled at the old woman lying in her bed. Her eyes landed on him, lighting up with that familiar spark of life and fire.

"Steve? You're alive! You… you came, you came back!" Peggy exclaimed, tearing up.

"Yeah, Peggy," Steve said, walking up and smiling even though it pained him to see her like this, to see a woman that had been so sharp with her mind during the war having it deteriorate like this. She didn't deserve it.

"It's been so long," she said. "So long."

"Well I couldn't leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance," he said. He sat down next to her.

Peggy laughed. "You're still as sweet as you were when I met you."

"I'll never change."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I get to see you again. I've never been better." She smiled lovingly at him. "I know that expression of yours. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just… I'm going on a mission and I wanted to see you before I left," Steve said.

"Just come back to me again," Peggy whispered. "Is the mission dangerous?"

"Yes," he admitted truthfully. He wasn't going to hide anything from Peggy. She would know if he was anyway. "I'm helping a girl rescue her sister. She's been imprisoned for three years. We need to get her out of there."

"You will succeed. You always do," she assured.

"Her whole situation. It reminds me of when I rescued Bucky from the HYDRA facility. It's why I want to help her. Her name is Ember."

"What's her last name?" Peggy queried.

"I… I actually don't know. She never said." Steve scrunched his face up in confusion. Why hadn't she told him her last name?

"She will have her reason."

"I trust she will. Ember went through hell. She was captured like her sister, but escaped about three months. Made quite a comeback though. I-" Steve was cut off by his phone ringing. Picking it up, he asked, "Hello?"

Heavy breathing on the end was the first thing he heard. "Steve?" the voice gasped.

He recognized the person instantly. "Ember? What's wrong?"

* * *

**Ember**

Leaving Stark tower proved to be difficult when your cousin was rather upset that you didn't choose him to go with you. Tony bugged her incessantly about choosing the "man in the spangled outfit" over him to which Ember replied that Steve had gone through something similar when his best friend, practically brother, had been taken. Like herself, Steve didn't know if his best friend was alive or not but he was going to try and rescue him anyway. If anyone knew anything about infiltrating a HYDRA base, it was Steve. Although, she did ask Stark if he could find out an address for her which he immediately agreed to. She gave him a hug and said bye to the other Avengers before driving down with Fury to D.C. He was catching a plane at Dulles but he dropped her off at her flat first. Ember thanked him for all he'd done; she'd still be lost searching for her sister if it weren't for him.

Since Steve wasn't at her flat yet, Ember decided to walk around D.C. a bit and maybe visit a museum. She had missed three years of her life thanks to HYDRA; she needed to start figuring out everything she missed. Ember hailed down a cab and asked for the Smithsonian. It'd been a favorite place of her and Seraphina's when they were little whenever they would visit D.C. Ember had a fascination with the war exhibits. Seraphina enjoyed the exhibits on ancient civilizations.

Not too much had changed upon arriving at the museum that hadn't been there three years ago before Ember and Seraphina had been kidnapped. Actually, the newest exhibit happened to be on the man she was about to go on an adventure with: Captain America. After reading so much about that time in history, Ember was eager to see it, although she felt weird reading about this man's past from seventy years ago and seeing stuff he wore when she knew him now. But, despite the weirdness, she went and looked anyway. She wanted to read about Bucky first since that was Steve's best friend. But since there were already a lot of people there- a family of four, a man in a baseball cap, and a girl in a business outfit- Ember decided to wait until the board was clearer. Instead, the first board she read was about the Howling Commandos themselves:

_The Howling Commandos were an elite combat unit formed by Captain America from various P.O.W.s that he rescued from a HYDRA base in Austria. These men were James Buchanan Barnes (a.k.a. Bucky), Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader Dugan (a.k.a. Dum Dum Dugan), Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth, and Jacques Dernier. Captain America and his Howling Commandos led missions against as many HYDRA bases as they could find in Europe, and were overall very successful._

_In the winter of 1945, the Howling Commandos led a raid on a HYDRA train carrying Arnim Zola to a location still unknown to this day. Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and Gabe Jones zip-lined down onto the train and snuck inside. Sometime during the mission, Captain America and Bucky Barnes fought one of Zola's machines. While the machine was destroyed, it managed to create a hole in the side of the train. Bucky was blown outside and fell to his untimely death. He was the only Howling Commando to lose his life during the war._

_Afterwards, Captain America led his last mission with his Howling Commandos onto Johann Schmidt's last base. Colonel Chester Phillips and Margaret "Peggy" Carter led supporting U.S. forces._

_Johann Schmidt, who referred to himself as the "Red Skull," took his military plane and escaped his doomed HYDRA base; however, Captain America leapt onto it from a moving vehicle and was able to kill Schmidt. Now, alone on a plane equipped with weaponry meant to destroy the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, Captain America decided the only way to stop the destruction from happening is to crash it into the arctic. His last transmissions were to Peggy Carter._

_With their leader gone and the war over a little while later, the Howling Commandos remained together, although whether they continued to fight in the war until it ended is unknown. Some, like Dum Dum Dugan, joined S.H.I.E.L.D. with Howard Stark. The others were presumed to have retired from military service._

Ember smiled sadly at the unknown fates of the Howling Commandos. Was it possible to find out what had happened to them? Surely there were some records on them that could reveal what had happened to them. Making a mental note to try and find out, she moved onto the next panel. This one was on Jacques Dernier:

_Born in Marseilles, France, Jacques Dernier stayed there until the Nazis began to invade his country. He joined the French Resistance when World War II began and was captured (date unknown) by German Forces. He was taken to a HYDRA weapons facility in the Austrian Alps. It was there that he would meet his future Howling Commando comrades._

_In November 1943, Captain America single-handedly assaulted the facility in which Dernier was prisoner. Along with the other freed P.O.W.s, he proceeded to wreak havoc on the HYDRA agents and escape the base. Captain America led the men back to the U.S. military base in Italy immediately after._

_Shortly upon arriving in Italy, Captain America invited Dernier to join his special elite squadron: the Howling Commandos. After a brief conversation in French with Gabe Jones, Dernier accepted the offer. Once part of the team, he fought side-by-side with the other Howling Commandos in taking down HYDRA bases until Captain America went missing in the Arctic._

_His fate after World War II is unknown._

So Dernier was one of the members whose fate was unknown. Ember felt saddened that this man, who had been so important in the war, had practically disappeared. Was he still alive? It wasn't impossible, just highly unlikely. By the looks of his picture on the panel, he looked to be in his late twenties, possibly early thirties. Perhaps he was still alive; he'd be in his late nineties or early hundreds by now…

She moved on. The next panel was James Montgomery Falsworth:

_James Montgomery Falsworth was born in Britain (location unknown) and was a member of the 3__rd__ Independent Parachute Brigade of the British Army. During one of his missions, he and his unit were captured by German forces and sent to a HYDRA weapons facility in the Austrian Alps. It was at this base where Falsworth met his future Howling Commando comrades._

_In November 1943, Captain America set the prisoners free. Falsworth helped man a HYDRA tank with Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones in order to break free of the enemy base and to aid the other prisoners in escaping. The breakout was successful and Falsworth went back to Italy with the other troops, led by Captain America._

_Upon arrival at the U.S. base in Italy, Captain America asked Falsworth to join his elite combat team: the Howling Commandos. Falsworth agreed and fought in all the missions led against HYDRA bases until Captain America's disappearance._

_While his activities after he left the Howling Commandos are unknown, Falsworth has been reported to be deceased._

Ember smiled at the picture of the British man. She didn't know of his activities either, except one. He'd obviously gotten married and had a kid because one of the agents at MI-6 she'd worked with had told her his grandfather had been a Howling Commando. His name was James Montgomery Falsworth III. Maybe she could contact him sometime soon and talk to him about his grandfather, maybe find out what happened. After all, Ember was a history fanatic and loved to learn not only what a person did during a war, but what happened to them after.

She moved onto the next panel. This time it was James Morita:

_James "Jim" Morita, was born October 20, 1919 in Fresno, California. He was a Japanese-American soldier who joined the United States Armed Forces at the beginning of World War II. Sometime during his military career, he was captured by HYDRA forces and taken prisoner at one of HYDRAs bases located in the Austrian Alps._

_At the HYDRA base in the Austrian Alps is where Morita met his future Howling Commandos. When Captain America set all the prisoners free, Morita helped the captives wreak havoc on the HYDRA agents and break out of their old prison. Once out of the base, Morita and the other captives were led back to Italy by Captain America._

_Shortly after, Captain America invited Morita to join his elite squadron: the Howling Commandos. Even though he'd barely escaped with his life from the HYDRA base in the Alps and knew joining the elite squadron meant going back to the frontlines immediately, Morita accepted the offer. He fought in all missions against HYDRA bases until Captain America went missing._

_While his activities after he left the Howling Commandos is unknown, Morita has been reported to be deceased._

Ember remembered reading about him in one of her history books. During World War II, because of Japan's attacks, particularly Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were distrusted by the United States, some were even put into Japanese Internment Camps. Ember remembered feeling happy about Jim Morita's fate. He got to fight alongside America's icon during World War II and was, overall, able to avoid criticism for being a Japanese-America. Ember found it wrong that Japanese-Americans had been discriminated due to Japan's actions. Just because some extremists decided to do some horrible things didn't mean that entire race felt the same way. However, she also understood just how petrified the United States had been of Communists. While what they did was utterly wrong, Ember knew the government thought they were doing the best they could for the situation. Grimacing inwardly at the injustice, she moved onto the next Howling Commando, Gabe Jones:

_Born in Macon, Georgia, Gabriel Jones, usually called Gabe, studied German and French, becoming fluent in both languages, before joining the United States Armed Forces. He joined the 92__nd__ Infantry, which Jones described as "All black, all proud."_

_In 1943, Jones was captured by HYDRA and placed with other allied prisoners at a HYDRA base in the Austrian Alps. He met the men who he would fight alongside with as a Howling Commando in the future._

_In November of 1943, Jones was rescued by Captain America who had infiltrated the HYDRA base and released its prisoners. Jones and the other captives fought their way off the base with Jones helping Dum Dum Dugan and James Montgomery Falsworth man a tank to help destroy the HYDRA base and escape it. Once free, Jones and the other men were led back to Italy by Captain America._

_A short while later, Captain America requested that Jones join the Howling Commandos, an elite squadron that would be led by Captain America himself. Jones happily accepted the offer and fought in all the assaults on the HYDRA bases until Captain America went missing._

_Jones, along with Captain America and Bucky Barnes, attacked the train carrying Arnim Zola to an unknown location. While his comrades were fighting one of Zola's machines, Jones managed to take Zola into custody._

_Jones' fate after the war is unknown._

Gabe had been one sarcastic man. Ember had read that in a biography on the Howling Commandos. He especially liked to converse with Dernier in French. No one knew what they discussed, but the men were typically laughing, and it was usually by something Gabe had said. Ember wondered what those conversations entailed and why they were so funny.

She moved on to the next panel:

_Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader Dugan, affectionately called Dum Dum Dugan by his compatriots, was a sergeant in the 69__th__ Infantry Regiment before he was captured by HYDRA forces and taken to a base of theirs in the Austrian Alps. In this facility, Dugan met the men who would later become his comrades in the Howling Commandos._

_When Captain America set Dugan and the other prisoners free from their prison in November 1943, Dugan took control of a tank with the help of Gabe Jones and James Montgomery Falsworth. Together, they helped the other soldiers fight their way off the base and defeating the HYDRA forces. Captain America then led them to the U.S. base in Italy._

_Shortly after the rescue, Dugan was recruited by Captain America to join the Howling Commandos, which he joined without any objections, saying he was always ready for battle as long as someone pays for his drinks (apparently, he then asked Captain America to open up another tab). Dugan fought in all the assaults against HYDRA bases until Captain America went missing._

_After the war, Dugan joined S.H.I.E.L.D. along with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter, but there is no further information. It is unknown whether he is alive or deceased._

Dugan's picture was at the memorial S.H.I.E.L.D. put up for its founders. Peggy Carter and Howard Starks photos were there too. Ember thought to herself that no one needed to know Dugan personally to know that he was a gentle giant with a witty sense of humor. All the pictures he was in gave off the impression of him being so. Next to Bucky, Dugan was the one Commando that Ember would've loved to have meet. He was one of the few whose records went beyond World War II.

Turning around, Ember looked to see if Bucky's panel had been cleared out. Except for the man in the baseball cap and a small little boy, there was no one else around. She walked up behind them and started reading his information:

_Born in 1917, Barnes grew up the oldest child of four. An excellent athlete __who also excelled in the classroom, Barnes enlisted in the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After winter training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Barnes and the rest of the 107__th__ shipped out to the Italian front. _

_Captured by Hydra troops later that fall, Barnes endured long periods of isolation, depravation and torture. But his will was strong. In an ironic twist of fate, his prison camp was liberated by none other than his childhood friend, Steve Rogers, now Captain America._

_Reunited, Barnes and Rogers led Captain America's newly formed unit: The Howling Commandos. Barnes' marksmanship was invaluable as Rogers and his team destroyed HYDRA bases and disrupted Nazi troop movements throughout the European theater._

His information had been written in a much different style than the others, but that was probably because there was so much information on him that the writers had to seriously paraphrase a lot of things. Ember studied his picture. He was a handsome man, she had to admit. She could tell that behind his serious demeanor in the picture, he had a mischievous side to him.

A tugging at her sleeve made her look down. The little boy that was standing in front of was staring at her.

"What's that word?" he asked politely, pointing.

Ember smiled. "That's 'depravation.'"

"Oh… thank you."

"Do you want me to read the panel to you?"

"Yes please," the boy replied eagerly. Ember pointed to the words as she began reading aloud what the panel said. She felt the eyes of the man next to her watching her, but she ignored him. Once she was done, the little boy said, "Thank you!" his eyes drifted over to the man in the baseball cap. Pointing, he said, "He looks like him."

Ember glanced at the man, looked back down at the boy, and did a double take. That man… it wasn't _possible_. The man made eye contact with her. Recognition unmistakably flashed through his eyes. Fear ripped through Ember's body; she forced herself to remain outwardly calm, a lot easier said than done. Turning back to the boy, she said, "Where are your parents?"

"They're looking at Duggan's," he answered. Forcing a chuckle at his mispronunciation, Ember suggested they go return him to them. The boy agreed and led her to his parents. They thanked her for bringing him back to them, that he'd randomly disappeared on them when they were looking at the Howling Commandos' outfits. Telling them it was no problem, Ember hastily exited the exhibit. She tried not to look back, but curiosity got the better of her. She had to know if he was watching her, or in the worst case, actually following her. It didn't take long to find him. He was maneuvering his way through the crowd, eyes focused on his target.

Her.

Ember snapped her head back around and started walking faster, slipping past people. Once she was outside, she ran down the steps and to the cabs waiting outside. She looked back again, and realized easily that there was no way she could get into a cab in time without her follower catching her. A split-second decision caused her to bolt down the sidewalk, leaping in between pedestrians, some who cursed at her for accidentally knocking into them. Ember tried to say sorry to as many as she could but it was hard. The only reason she hadn't been caught yet was because the people blocking her were also blocking her pursuer. Thankfully, she was more agile when it came to dodging people and it gave her the advantage, but she also wasn't as fast as him. Her fate was precariously hung in the balance right now from being free and being captured again, and she'd be damned if it was going to be the latter one. Ember fumbled for her cell phone and dialed Steve's number. It rang once, twice, three times, before he answered.

"Steve?" she gasped.

"Ember? What's wrong?" he demanded worriedly.

"The Winter Soldier. I-I found him. Or more like… he found me."

* * *

**Long chapter but necessary. I hope the information for Bucky's panel was right because it was a pain to read on a crappy quality video I found. I'm pretty sure there's a typo in there somewhere so if you see it, please point it out to me so I can change it! Other than that, hope you enjoyed! Review? :)**


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